


Be still and know that I am here

by redlipsredledger



Series: Thought we built a dynasty like nothing ever made [1]
Category: The Originals (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Hayley is struggling, Hope is conflicted, Klaus Mikaelson is bad at feelings, Klaus is bad at love, Klayley fic, Parents reuniting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-19 16:48:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19360846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redlipsredledger/pseuds/redlipsredledger
Summary: Trying to work out where to go now that everything seems calmer than it has in years, Hayley and Klaus battle through their feelings.THIS IS A WIP! Like, the whole fic. It's a wip because I'm debating wholly on how the hell this is gonna turn out and I don't know what to do with it lmfao!





	1. Chapter 1

Curled up with a book on her lap, Hayleys hand propped up her tilted head as she flipped idly through the pages that she'd long since stopped paying any attention to. It was a means to pass the time if nothing else, the quiet bringing her peace as she listened to her daughter bustle around in her bedroom and a smile touched her lips; it had felt like an eternity since Hope had been home from the boarding school; she knew that the Salvatore School for gifted kids was the best place for her, but it didn't stop her from worrying. She always worried; it was the curse of a mother who'd endured the very worst of her fears coming to light. She loved her daughter with every fiber of her being and in truth, she had since the moment she'd found out she was pregnant. Resistant as Hayley was to having any kind of ties that would keep her still or ground her in any way, she loved the small life that she was nurturing within her knowing all the while that it was her second chance to have the family that she'd been denied as a child.  
  
After all, hadn't she gone through her life believing that she'd been abandoned as a baby? The thought of that happening all over again was beyond anything she could handle; she was strong, but she wasn't heartless. She hadn't meant for any of it to happen, she hadn't meant for anything to come from the one night that she'd spent with Klaus, but she listened to her daughter shuffle around her room and a soft smile touched her features as a calm settled over her.  
  
For a while, she hadn't even noticed him leaning against the wooden doorframe, it wasn't until he cleared his throat that Hayley glanced up from the book she'd been using as a weak distraction. Pushing it aside, she chewed on her bottom lip as her brown eyes studied him. He wore a smile upon his features and he looked almost as peaceful as she did. Cocking an eyebrow, the brunette hybrid tilted her head softly to the side.  **"Y'know, creeping around is still creepy."** she remarked, unfurling her body as she pulled her eyes from him to look out of the window.  **"It's actually quiet and trust me, I feel weird as hell saying that. It's almost like saying anything is gonna provoke some other ancient evil..."** There was trouble in her voice and she knew he knew it, because she felt him move to stand behind her as he put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze, his way - she supposed - of letting her know once again that she wasn't alone.  
  
**"And if there is, we'll face it as we always do little wolf: Together."** He spoke, a softness to his tone that he seemed to reserve solely for her and their daughter and she felt comforted by his words, unable to fight the smile that made its way onto her lips at the familiar nickname; it was the same one he'd had for her for years now. It was hard to believe that it had been years. Time seemed to pass so quickly and yet so painfully. They'd lost so much along the way, and almost lost their lives more times than she cared to count. It seemed almost like the universe itself wanted to tear them apart and through sheer willpower and blind determination, it had not yet succeeded though that wasn't through its lack of trying. The fact that any of them had survived was nothing short of a miracle. She reached up a hand to place it over his without even thinking about it.  **"Yeah, well..."** She released a sigh.  **"Evil can wait until I'm damn ready for it, I need a break."** Didn't they all after all that they'd endured?  
  
She felt his breath on her neck before she felt the arm loop around her waist as he pulled her against him, the warmth of his body pressed to her back was a strange sort of comfort and still, a part of her felt uncertain despite it.  **"What are you doing, Klaus?"** She questioned softly as her hand fell from her shoulder to place her arm over his.  
  
**"I almost lost you."** He replied, almost sounding as troubled as she had moments ago.  **"And when I thought I had, I couldn't bear it."** Lacing her fingers with his, Hayley closed her eyes as she leaned back against him almost like for that one moment, seeking comfort wouldn't be all too bad. There were far worse things in the world than turning to the father of her child in times of trouble and angst, and it had been a long time since Hayley had been able to truly relax, or truly feel safe. Every single thing that she'd been through since she'd gotten pregnant with Hope had left its mark on her in different ways, each scarring her body and her mind in ways that she'd never be able to erase and yet he'd been the only one that had never seen evil in her no matter how close she came to losing herself.  
  
**"I'm not going down that easy."** She spoke, a soft sincerity laced her tone as she pulled away from him, turning to look at him. The look in his eyes threw her, she'd never seen him look at her like that, at least not truly.  **"Klaus..."** She began, having no idea though how to continue her sentence and he seemed to pick up on that, a smile touched his lips as his hand moved to her cheek. For a moment - just one, just one fleeting moment - it looked like he had something to say and just as quick as the look had appeared it faded and he pressed his lips to hers. She hadn't kissed him since that first night, but this was different as was the feeling rising in her as he pulled her closer to him again, his body against hers and his lips slipped to her neck. Chewing her lip to fight the soft sound that threatened to break her lips, Hayley's hands entangled in his hair.

 

 **"Hey, mom? Do you mind if I--"** Hope.  **"You know what? Never mind."** _Shit!_ Pulling away immediately, she pushed past Klaus toward the door.  **"Hope, wait."** Naturally, Hayley's plea to the teenager was met with nothing but silence and her fist connected with the wooden door frame.  **"Goddammit!"** And with that, she shot a glare over her shoulder at the smirking Original and went to find her daughter.  
  
As she got down the stairs, she heard his voice carry.  **"We'll pick this up again later then, shall we?"**  
  
He was so damn arrogant.


	2. Maybe I'm waking up today.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter will swap from person to person, bouncing a bit between Hope, Freya, Hayley and Klaus. With any luck it'll all make some sense! Be kind xD this is my first Originals fanfic.

No, no, no, no!  
  
Hope raced down the stairs, shaking her head profusely as she did almost crashing straight into the fountain as she skidded to a halt. No. A soft grimace touched the girls features. In all of the strange, downright screwed up things that she'd seen in her world this? This had to top the cake. Most kids would be more than happy about their parents and any chance of a 'normal' family, or at least as normal as things got in this world but, Hope was not one of them. For one, she knew that her fathers maniacal nature meant that there was probably zero chance at all at ever having said  _normal_ family.  
  
**"Whoa, Hope! What--"** Freya, Aunt Freya. Hope wheeled around on her heel as her eyes fell on her aunt and she blew out an exasperated sigh.  **"Just-- It doesn't matter. Hey Aunt Freya."** The Tribrid looked troubled, and she could tell her aunt picked up on it. Freya frowned.  **"Would you mind coming with me? I want to pick up a couple of supplies anyway."** Sensing Hope's desperation to get anywhere that wasn't here, Freya nodded at her niece. Even if she wasn't entirely sure what was going on, Hope still wanted to get the hell away from here for a little while and hopefully, get that image out of her mind.   
  
Was there even a chance that her parents could reconcile? She breathed out a sigh as she made her way out of the compound.

* * *

  
Bringing the ice cream to her lips, Hope glanced toward her aunt as she asked - probably for the 900th time - what exactly had her in such a hurry to leave, and the teenager mulled it over for a little while, contemplating telling her aunt who - by now - had a very stubborn look on her features; it was the same one each Mikaelson shared, the one that said they weren't going to give up unless they got an answer.  **"Mom and dad."** Finally, Hope caved and she watched the way Freya's face became one of utter confusion.  **"Okay what-- They're okay, right?"** Naturally, her aunt would jump to something being wrong with them. They'd all been through so much that they sort of expected danger by now.  **"Oh! Yeah, they're great. Just-- I walked in on something before and I just-- I don't know. I don't know what to think."** she muttered, turning the cone around in her hands to give herself a mediocre distraction.   
  
**"What do you mean?"** Had they had another fight again? That was of course Freya's first instinct; she knew what Niklaus could be like. She knew just how much he loved to start a fight with just about anyone and she swore half the time he only did it because he was downright bored and it had been rather quiet lately. Hope shook her head again.  **"Not fighting. Deeefinitely not fighting."** And she turned to her aunt with a wrinkled nose. Freya laughed.  **"Oh, oh wow okay. Well that's--"** The witch seemed lost for words and Hope huffed out a sigh.  **"Weird. It's weird."** She finished her aunts thought for her. It _was_ weird and she had no damn idea what to think about it.  **"They're not supposed to be..."** She started, stopping for a moment to figure out where she wanted to go with this thought.  **"They've always been apart, ever since I can remember."** It was clear that Hope was conflicted by it.  
  
Freya knew all too well that any child out there would have wanted a family where their parents could find happiness together but Hope's parents weren't a normal situation by far; Freya hadn't been around at the start of it all but she knew what a complex story it had been and how the to and fro between the two of them had been so very far from average or simple. There was more conflict there than anyone could understand but beneath the surface, there was so much more, too. She could sense that; they'd been through so much and endured so much side by side that it would have been impossible not to care for one another but not even she had seen this one coming. Klaus - from what she knew - was a complicated man.  
  
And another fling between the two would hurt Hope in the long run and surely not even her brother was that selfish.  **"After everything they've been through, maybe they just-- Maybe they just have some stuff to work out."** In truth, she had no idea.

* * *

  **"What the hell was that?!"** Rounding on Klaus, Hayley's brown eyes blazed with a fury and confusion that she hadn't felt in a long time.  **"We can't do this to her! It's not about us anymore, if you want some goddamn meaningless sex go find someone else."** Oh, she was mad. She was mad as hell at him for what he'd done and she was mad at herself for not pushing him away. Klaus as always stood like the immovable object that he was, and he brought the glass of scotch to his lips, downing the remainder of the contents before breathing out a sigh.  **"And say perhaps, I don't want something meaningless?"** His eyes flicked to hers, brilliant and bright; he knew all too well by now that Hayley was downright stubborn, just like he was. The two of them had that - and more - in common but Klaus, Klaus was far less inclined to face his feelings than Hayley seemed to be.  
  
She glared at him, clearly unimpressed.  **"Screw your damn riddles."** the brunette fell against the wall before she slid to the floor.  **"Do you have _any_ idea what it's gonna do to her? What the hell are you doing?" **He glanced down at her as she spoke, his eyebrow cocking.  **"From what I could tell, love, it wasn't just me."** Arrogant. He was so goddamn arrogant.  **"Y'know what? Screw you."**

  _Even when you hate him, you still love him._  
  
Hayley's head connected with the wall.  


* * *

She truly had no idea, did she? He watched every movement she made, every lilt to her tone, every breath, heartbeat, everything. He couldn't help it. She had no idea at all. She couldn't understand all the ways that he cared about her, maybe he'd been better at pushing her away and making her believe he didn't care than he'd given it credit for; he'd always tried to make her believe that there was nothing there. He did that with everyone. Klaus was bad at love. He was bad at feeling anything for anyone because he knew just how easily they could be torn away from him; he'd spent centuries running, centuries trying to stay alive while a crazed maniac determined to end his life stayed so close on his tail that love seemed impossible, and Rebekah made it look downright foolish. Elijah wasn't much better.  
  
He could still see it in his mind when he looked at her, the slit across her throat, the warmth of her blood on his hands as he held her lifeless body the day that she'd had Hope, the day he'd first believed that he'd lost absolutely everything. Love was a weakness and he couldn't afford weakness and yet here it was, staring him in the face whether he wanted it or not; she was the mother of his child, the person that had given him a chance at a new start that he believed he'd never had and he had to thank Elijah for that; if he hadn't been so goddamn stubborn there was still something in Klaus worth saving he'd likely have turned his back on Hayley without even caring what would become of her or the child. The witches would have killed her, more than likely.   
  
And he'd have lost the only chance that he had of any kind of redemption.  _'It's okay to care.'_ Rebekah's words resounded in his head like she were stood right in front of him saying them all over again. He breathed out a sigh and knelt in front of her, wishing that he hadn't sounded so arrogant moments before but indeed, he did struggle with anything that felt even remotely real.  **"It's real, little wolf."** He stated simply.  **"It's real."  
**

Klaus didn't admit weakness very easily; it had been years since that day and granted, it wasn't the first time that he'd almost lost her but he was damn sure that it was going to be the very last; he wouldn't lose her. He  _couldn't_ lose her. He couldn't stand the thought of it, what would he have if he lost her?  **"Don't believe the darkness in me forever."**


	3. Do right by her.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Klaus and Hayley have a heart to heart, she realises everything could change if she'd take a chance.
> 
> THIS CHAPTER IS NOT FINISHED <3 (its just that my computer is a jerk and if I don't post it I'll lose it more than likely...)

The balcony of the compound overlooked the street; a procession of lights and sounds filled the air as she watched from above, the moon high and full above her head momentarily drew her eyes upward and in that moment almost as if she'd forgotten, Hayley realised she was no longer a slave to it. The moon only held sway when she chose to let it and tonight, tonight it was tempting to let it do exactly that. The urge to run free and release herself from the days woes held strong in her mind, her alternate nature pulling her toward something she hadn't done in quite some time. A part of her almost missed it, not the snapping of bones, pulling of muscles, twisting of tissue and reshaping of her entire body, but the freedom of it. The freedom of the wolf, the feeling of the earth beneath paws that ran so fast through open woodland, the heightened senses so sharp and crisp but not in the way she had every day...

The freedom that she'd denied herself for so long and the escape she so craved seemed one in the same tonight but instead, she watched the procession of people who seemed to celebrate just about anything here and she loved that; the city was constantly alive and since the subjugation of each species had stopped and there was more peace than conflict in the quarter, it was nice to be able to just enjoy it for a change. She heard the footsteps behind her, but clutching the mug of hot coffee to her chest she fought against the urge to turn around, and he sat down beside her. Blue eyes seemed to refuse to move from her at all, and so she turned her head and released a soft sigh.  **"Come to make another epic speech?"** Sarcasm seemed her default defense just as hostility was his.

He shrugged, his shoulders rising and falling as a slight smirk settled on his lips.  **"Far from it, I've said all I needed and now the choice is all yours."** he replied simply. She hadn't answered him earlier, and she'd been avoiding him ever since. She wouldn't admit it of course, she was too stubborn for that and she'd been avoiding him just as vehemently as Hope had been avoiding her.  **"It's not that simple. It's never that simple."** She moved her eyes back to the rolling procession below, the music bringing a smile to her lips. The noise was a welcome distraction but his eyes did not move, not even for a second. It could be simple. It could be just as easy as breathing if she'd allow it to be but it would only be for a short time until something else out there decided that they were targets. Hope deserved better than a broken heart if they didn't work out.

First and foremost, Hayley was a mother.

 **"I wanna believe you, I want to look at you and know you mean it but I just-- what's to stop you from deciding power matters more? Or your damn broody solitude? I know you left to protect her but I was here. I saw how much she missed you and how hurt she was. We had no choice but now we do. We cannot let her lose you again. We've ended up on opposite ends of the world now for almost a decade, Klaus. It's not that simple. You roll back into town and save the day, I almost died... We could've left her all alone and we promised we'd never do that."** It was a promise that meant the goddamn world to her. A promise that she'd fight until her last breath to keep because her little girl would not feel alone and abandoned the way she did if she could help it.  **"You almost died."** He emphasised almost, repeating her words verbatim.  **"And do you know how much that frightened me? How helpless that made me feel? I had to watch what they did to you fearing that I'd lose everything in that moment and that our daughter would grow up without a mother. I do not admit weakness, Little Wolf."** She turned again to look at him.

 **"But you _are_ my weakness. You and our daughter and I'll protect you _both_ until it kills me." **There was a soft sincerity in his words, and yet she had no idea how to respond to that; it wasn't as though she hadn't seen this side to him before, she knew he could be kind, gentle even. She knew there was goodness inside of him even if he doubted it himself she'd seen it firsthand because he'd fought long and hard for her over the years, doing whatever he could to protect her and saving her in the times he couldn't. It didn't matter what trouble she stumbled into, he'd always had her back and he stood by her side.  _Always and Forever._

 **"What are you saying, Klaus? What-- What do you want from me?"** She barely got the words out before he moved swiftly to stand in front of her, taking both her hands in his as he pulled her to her feet.  **"I'd have thought that was obvious: I want you."** He replied, his eyes clearly searching her face almost as though he wanted to gauge her reaction before she had the chance to give one; she knew how Klaus feared rejection, she knew how he truly feared loneliness and how much - despite him denying it - he clung to those he cared for out of fear of losing them forever. Her lips parted and she ran her tongue across her top lip, breath hitching in her throat.  **"I--"** She started, pausing for a moment to find words that simply would not come and so, she pulled him closer to her and her lips crashed against his.


End file.
